Atargatis and the Sailor
by Vardainiel
Summary: When Sinbad is thrown from his ship during a storm, he is positive his luck had finally run out. However, he is saved by what is considered a sailor's worst nightmare. The encounter throws him into an underwater war which promises to test his luck more than ever before. But, it also threatens to steal away the very being that saved his life. Implied Sinja for now.
1. Prologue

The last thing Sinbad remembered was falling into the ocean. The water engulfed him, carrying him deeper and deeper, leaving his ship and crew behind to fight the storm without their captain. The dark water burned his eyes, but he continued to stare toward the surface as he sunk deeper. It was funny really. A man who conquered seven dungeons, revered as Sinbad of the Seven Seas, and loved by those poor souls he endowed his treasure upon; drowned in the very sea he had come to love. He didn't lose to his enemies or meet his end to an assassin's blade, but died in the arms of the sea. He supposed that was good enough. At least he was comfortable there. There was a figure coming toward him and he closed his eyes, welcoming it with open arms.


	2. In the Jaws of the Beast

Sinbad awoke to a sharp sting on his neck, eyes shooting open to find the source of the pain. There was someone else there, face buried in the sailor's neck. A fin popped out from between wet, white hair. He quickly realized that his pain was caused by fangs, and blood was running down his chest, mingling with the sand. He shoved his attacker back, catching him off guard and throwing him into the sand.

The boy in front of him only looked half human, but Sinbad knew exactly what he was. An Atargatis: a being of the sea which was half human and half fish. He was a sailor's worst nightmare, or at least that was what he had heard.

Sinbad held the wound on his neck tightly, attempting to stop the bleeding. The human eating part was true at least. At least the bite had looked worse than it actually was. The atargatis stared at him, a deep growl emitting from his rather slim form. Sinbad found he looked a lot less frightening than he had been led to believe at least. Apparently, atargatis weren't a far cry from the merfolk that granted wishes. He looked mostly human, freckles decorating his nose and shoulders, and the only thing slightly frightening about him was the sharp fangs that were still bared at him.

He finally connected the dots with what little he remembered after falling into the ocean. He thought the figure he had seen had simply been his imagination or perhaps someone he once knew coming to take him back to the Rukh. Clearly, it had been the young atargatis in front of him. He couldn't understand why he would save him only to try to eat him, but he owed his life to the creature either way.

"Relax. I don't take kindly to being bitten, but I assume it was you who brought me to shore. You saved my life."

The atargatis gave him a dirty look before growling again, shifting his tail restlessly. He kicked up a flurry of sand in Sinbad's direction, causing him to shield his eyes. When the sand finally settled, the creature was gone.

Sinbad pursed his lips in irritation as he looked around. Sure, he was on shore, but he had been dropped off in a secluded cove with no easy means of escape. Maybe the atargatis really had intended to eat him. There was a cliff surrounding him and the ocean in front of him. Trying to swim away was pointless since he didn't even know where he was. Not to mention there were worse things in the sea than a temperamental man eater.

By sundown, he had at least found enough wood to start a fire. He could at least hope his crew would see the light and come retrieve him. That was, if his ship hadn't been torn to pieces or his crew sure he perished. He sighed, hungry and cold.

There was a splash from the water and he turned to see a few fish flopping fruitlessly on the sand. He looked back out at the ocean to see the fair haired atargatis glaring at him, his face mostly submerged. Sinbad stared back, trying to judge the creature's intentions. After a minute or so, the atargatis began to growl at him.

"Is this your attempt to fatten me up before eating me?" He laughed, moving to take the fish anyway.

"Shau aun, haurloa." The atargatis spat, vanishing back into the water. It was likely he didn't understand a word the sailor said anyway.

* * *

The fair haired atargatis was back the next morning, glaring at him from the water. There was more fish on the shore and the creature insisted he eat them. Sinbad was grateful, regardless of the intention. The atargatis made no attempt to come back on the shore, leaving Sinbad to wander around under his watchful eye.

He had finally come to recognize the cove, but unfortunately for him, it was the only outlet to the sea on the whole chunk of land and they had passed it a day before the storm hit. Sinbad doubted his crew would find it easily. He could have easily used Focalor's power to fly from the cove after he had filled his stomach, but his curiosity with the young boy in the water kept him there.

He watched the atargatis stare at him, noticing how his fair skin was beginning to burn. He had no idea a fish could burn, but he was half human, at least in theory. He wondered if his observer noticed his burn or if he even cared.

"Why don't you come up here and rest in the shade? I'm not going to attack you or anything. Although, that might be your plan."

"Mind iya'aum own business."

"So you do know how to speak my language?"

"I nann a up here and here. It as' like a's hard."

"You're going to burn up if you stay in the sun."

"Sa'?"

Sinbad frowned. "Was that your way of telling you don't care?"

"Ir I come up here, iya'au'rr probably gut rlo like iya'aum kind usually does." He growled.

"And that is any different than eating me?"

The atargatis remained quiet. After a few minutes, he came closer to shore, moving his way carefully onto the sand. His eyes never left Sinbad, even after he was under the shade of the cliff. He figured that was enough and took to watching the boy watch him.

Sinbad had seen merfolk before and the boy was almost exactly the same. There were a few more fins here and there, but easily mistakable if not for the fangs. What bothered him was the visible scar on the atargatis's tail. It was long and almost stitch like, marring both sides as if they were made by the same blow. Then again, maybe atargatis weren't as civil with one another as the merfolk were. Or maybe other creatures were higher on the food chain.

"So, what do you plan on doing?" The boy asked, still watching.

"I'm going to wait for my crew for now." Sinbad raised an eyebrow. "That was much more fluent than before."

"I said it wasn't hard to learn. I simply never had anyone to talk to so I could get the hang of it."

"A quick learner then. What are you going to do?"

There was no answer.

"Do you plan on eating me?"

"No." He looked a little conflicted. "You're interesting."

"Oh? Well, if I'm not your dinner, then I'll introduce myself. My name is Sinbad."

"Sinbad: the pirate who plunders from royal transport ships and givens his riches to the poor. Sinbad: the conqueror of seven dungeons. Sinbad: sailor of the seven seas. I've heard of you."

"You're well informed."

"There is this one mermaid who tells a lot of your stories. Funny how you have fans under the sea as well as above it. Though, you are apparently a womanizer. She is smitten with you." He sounded slightly disgusted.

"Really?" He laughed. "So, what is your name?"

"That's a stupid question."

"How come?"

"Atargatis don't have names. Neither do merfolk for that manner though they like to name themselves so they feel more human."

"Well, that is no good."

"Why?"

"I don't have anything to call you."

"So?"

"We can't be friends if I don't know your name."

"Like hell you need it. I'm not going to become your friend. So your crew is filled with people from all over the world. So what? You're not adding an atargatis to your list of members. What are you, a shepherd?"

"I didn't say you needed to join my crew."

"That is exactly what you said. Your crew are also your friends, no?"

"You don't need to follow me to be my friend."

"I don't understand your human logic." He growled.

"Let me put it this way then. I would like to know what to call you so I can hold a conversation with you better."

"Fine."

"So? What do I call you?"

"I don't care."

"Mm. How about Fishy?"

"No."

"Chompers?"

"No."

"Fins."

"No." That last one sounded scary enough for Sinbad to stop with the teasing.

"Then Ja'far. Is that okay?"

The atargatis looked away from him for the first time the whole day, apparently embarrassed. "That's fine."

* * *

"Are you really sure your crew is going to come for you?" Ja'far said plainly as he sat so he was just in the water. "This is day two and not a single ship has gone by."

"They'll come."

"They probably think you are dead. If they don't come, what is your plan?"

"I don't really have one." Sinbad laughed a little.

Ja'far shot him a look. "Are you even worried about being stuck here?"

"I can always use one of my djinn to fly away."

"And you haven't done this yet why?"

"Because my crew will come find me."

"You are unbelievable." Ja'far scoffed, splashing a bit of water his way with a flick of his tail. "Irresponsible. Foolish. You are wasting time sitting on the beach while your crew worries about your safety."

"They know me and I know them. They are all capable men and they know something like that wouldn't kill me."

"So you are simply lucky. You would be dead if I didn't fish you out of the ocean."

"Why did you do that anyway? You brought me to shore and could have eaten me well before I woke." Sinbad smiled at him curiously.

"I cac miy a' ooa iya'au, acaa'." Ja'far grumbled. "What idiot takes his clothes off while he sleeps? That is why it took me so long to start. I have _never_ had a human strip in front of me without even knowing he was doing it."

"So people have stripped in front of you on purpose before?"

Ja'far glared at him. "Not my point."

"It happens often, actually." He laughed.

"I'll pretend you didn't admit that." The atargatis sighed. "Does your neck hurt still?"

"Ah, that. Don't worry about it."

"It's really red. It wasn't as if I didn't get a good bite."

"I said it was no problem." Sinbad smiled at him.

"I cannot understand how you just talk to me like I'm another human. You treat me like I haven't devoured 30 or so of your kind." He looked away, growing annoyed with that smile.

"You ate fish yesterday. Why eat people too?"

"That's like me asking you why you eat fish even though you can also eat the land animals. Because it is something different. Human just happen to be one of the only animals who venture to sea. I've taken out sea fowl before, but I don't really care for them."

"Any plants?"

"I'm not a herbivore." Ja'far responded simply, pushing himself off the shore and vanishing into the water.

* * *

Ja'far returned the next morning with a bundle of seaweed. He gave it to Sinbad, quietly instructing that he place it on his wound. It was a simple treatment that would clean the bite on his neck and ultimately help it heal. He could say he was surprised his strange friend knew of such things, but he really wasn't. Ja'far lived in the ocean after all.

They didn't talk much at all for some time. Clearly, something was causing Ja'far some stress. He sat quietly in the shade of the cliff, not even bothering to watch Sinbad. A few times, he was sure the fair haired kid had fallen asleep, but he would stir if Sinbad continued to watch him.

By midday, the sun had been completely hidden by clouds and a chilling breeze blew into the cove. The sky let loose a light rain that came down in waves. The downpour didn't disturb the ocean much, at least, not enough to cause his crew any issue. That didn't help the fact he was getting wet though.

The rain stopped hitting Sinbad and he looked over to find Ja'far sitting close, the translucent green fins on his tail acting as a shield. Ja'far made no indication he wanted to talk and Sinbad felt it better not to try to thank him right away. He watched the fins, which were really more like a light veil, admiring how beautiful they really were. Alluring; just like they were meant to be. It made it easier to trap foolhardy people in the illusion of him being a harmless creature.

Against his better judgment, Sinbad reached out and stroked one of the fins carefully. It was soft and smooth, just like he thought. The underside remained dry even as the top was drenched with rain. Ja'far didn't seem to notice as he continued to touch the fin with some fascination.

That scar caught the sailor's attention again. Up close, it looked relatively old, long since healed and forgotten. Still, he could tell it had once been a life threatening wound. It didn't matter what Ja'far was, nothing could survive bleeding like he must have for long. He reached out for the scar, running his fingers down it and feeling the uneven surface. The scar was smooth compared to the scales that were hardly visible around it.

"Stop touching me." The calm yet irritated voice next to him ordered.

He looked at the fair atargatis to find he hadn't even opened an eye. Since he wasn't paying attention, Sinbad went back to studying the fin over his head. He hardly touched it with his fingers before it was slapped in his face and Ja'far moved feet away from him with an angry expression.

"Fine! Get soaked! See if I care."

"Come on. I didn't mean to make you mad."

"When someone tells you to stop something, you do it."

"I didn't think you could actually feel that."

"Yes, I have feeling in my fins. Not much, but I can tell when someone is messing with them."

"Sorry. I've never been so close to it before. It's pretty."

Ja'far gave him quite a disgusted face. "So you flirt with men too then?"

"Who said I was flirting? I was telling the truth." Sinbad was glad the rain was stopping, because he was sure Ja'far wasn't going to offer him shelter again.

"There is nothing 'pretty' about me. I blend with the sand."

"That isn't true."

"The next time you fall into the ocean, I refuse to save you. Good luck." He scoffed, vanishing again into the sea.

Ja'far didn't return the next day. Instead, Sinbad was met with the familiar sight of the Sindria and the roar of cheering from the deck. Even as far offshore as they were, he could hear them. A smaller boat came to pick him up, led by Masrur and Sharrkan. They told him how they looked all over for him and that they were glad they finally found him. But Sinbad wasn't as cheerful. Instead, he found himself wondering what had happened to the atargatis that had saved him from his certain death.

* * *

A/N: Well, if I went on about what even inspired this, it would simply take to long. Basically art history class, mermaids, and too much time and paper for drawing. As for what I decided to call Ja'far's species, that is a much better and shorter story.

Atargatis was a Syrian deity who is now popularly described as the mermaid goddess. Her daughter was an Assyrian queen. Assyria is the model for Partevia (from what I've read) which obviously is the country Sinbad is from. It literally took me four hours to decide that. xD

As this is my first actual fanfic, I am welcome to helpful criticism or even complements if it is really that worthy so far.


	3. New Crewmate

"Do you plan on leaving your ship here overnight?" The old man asked once Sinbad was done signing the paperwork that would allow them to stay docked.

"That was the plan."

"I suggest you keep an eye on your things then. Recently things have gone missing from ships. Nothing too important, I assure you. Mostly clothes." The man cleared his throat. "A lot of clothes."

"It's probably just some kids snooping around." Sinbad smiled, handing the man the coin he needed for their transaction. "I am hardly worried about missing clothing."

Sinbad thanked the man and returned to his ship. He informed his crew that they could go enjoy themselves in town and they ran off like a bunch of excited children. He was hardly surprised. They were almost always on the Sindria, so the time they did have to spend on land was precious.  
The crew enjoyed it and so did he for that manner, but the sea always called them back.

Really, he wanted nothing more than to join his crew in their drinking and maybe charm a woman or two, but he had other things to do. For one, the wound on his neck was becoming annoying. He had treated it, but it wasn't healing well. He was lucky it wasn't infected but getting a second opinion or even getting it treated by a healer was a good idea.

Aside from that, Sinbad felt the need to watch his ship. It didn't matter if it was some kids or not, his ship had some different cargo that would attract more people if those kids ran across it and spread the word. He was all for handing treasure out to the needy, but his crew needed that too so they could stay afloat.

Since the sun would be up for some time yet, he decided to visit the local healer. She was an old woman, slow moving but wise. She knew the nature and origin of his wound before he could even tell her. He had no idea that atargatis fangs hindered the ability to heal the wounds they caused. It would have been nice to know, but chances were Ja'far hadn't known that anyway. Sinbad had probably been the first human he didn't eat.

He returned to the ship once he was done with the healer and mulled around the deck, checking the mast for damage among other things. He was impressed with the shape of the ship considering the storm it had gone through, but he expected no less from his crew. Any damage that had been done was probably fixed before they found him on that beach.

Sinbad sit down on the deck, looking up at the sky. It was a soft red color, tapering off into orange and then a quiet blue. He closed his eyes, taking in the smell of the sea. He really was more at home there. He could go to town, but he found it difficult to sleep anywhere but his ship.

His mind wandered back to the fair haired atargatis. He had no idea they acted so human. In the short time he had been in Ja'far's company, he had experienced kindness, compassion, embarrassment, stress, and annoyance from the atargatis. It was really too bad he was a man eating sea creature because Sinbad wouldn't have been entirely opposed to having him on his ship.

There was a shuffling that made Sinbad shoot up, hand placed on his sword. Someone was shifting through some of the boxes on deck. It had gotten dark fast, so Sinbad couldn't make them out well, but he knew they weren't armed. He quietly approached the figure, quickly finding himself with his back on the deck and a small blade pressed to his throat. Visibly armed, that is.

"Ja'far? No way." Sure enough, the fair haired atargatis was the one pinning him down. There was something different though. The fins that had peaked out from his hair were gone, replaced with normal ears. He was dressed in a mix of a few outfits explaining where the missing clothing had gone. What struck Sinbad most was the fact that Ja'far had legs. Not a tail, no more beautiful fins, but thin curved legs.

Ja'far let him up once the apparent bloodlust had left his eyes. He sat on the deck, looking away from Sinbad like he a child who had been caught misbehaving. He didn't say anything which confused Sinbad. Sure, it had only been three days, but the Ja'far he knew would have said something at least.

"Aren't you going to tell me how that happened?" Sinbad asked, pointing to Ja'far's legs.

He frowned at him, standing up and grabbing his arm. He said nothing, allowing Ja'far to lead him off the ship and down the beach till they made it to a secluded cove. Sinbad nearly freaked out when Ja'far began stripping. He looked away, trying not to look unless he make Ja'far angry.

There was a splash and then a deep sigh. "Why the hell are you here?"

Sinbad looked at the water to find Ja'far, once again in the form he met him in. "I can't dock somewhere for a night?"

He rolled his eyes. "You are probably going to hound me for answers, right?"

"I am quite curious."

"The legs are because of a spell I asked the Sea Witch to cast. In exchange for my voice, I have legs on land."

Sinbad rushed up to the atargatis, grabbing his chin and pulling him into a kiss. As quickly as he had started it, he backed off, putting a comfortable distance between himself and the completely shocked Ja'far. He looked like he was at a complete loss and Sinbad wondered if he even knew what the action signified in the first place.

"Whoa ho raunn lloas hoa?" There was the anger he had been anticipating, a dangerous look in Ja'far's eyes that made him shudder. "Ya'au mooarriy oamo liaus sa'rlo sov oacca, oamo' iya'au?"

"Calm down! I just..."

"Just what? Decided that I was the next fool you were going to sleep with?" The atargatis started grabbing sand, throwing it at him quicker than he could avoid it. Some small rocks hit his face and he closed his eyes to keep the sand from getting into them.

"No! You said the Sea Witch cast that spell, right? If that is the case, then you would need a kiss within a certain amount of time or you would be compelled to throw yourself into the ocean and become sea foam. I don't want you to do that!"

"What are you talking about? That's only in your silly little stories. Not only is the Sea Witch a pleasant woman who is good about her work, but no idiot in their right mind would agree to such a risky exchange." Ja'far looked away from him with less anger and more embarrassment. "Nothing like that is going to happen."

"So why are you here anyway? I mean, as a man eating sea creature, why would you come up on shore and steal clothes from trade ships?"

Ja'far glanced his way. "I find your kind interesting. Need I have another reason?"

"Well, I suppose not, but I thought it would be more than that. You are giving up your voice for this. Even if it is only when you walk on land, it doesn't change the fact you can't speak."

"There are other factors but I doubt you would understand."

Sinbad frowned at the distant look in the fair man's face. It made him feel a little uneasy, as if something much bigger than what Ja'far was telling him was going on. He knew next to nothing about the atargatis. He could be very important below the surface or he could be a nobody who wanted something different. He wanted to ask, but he was more than sure he would anger Ja'far by prying.

"So, what do you plan on doing?"

"I'm not sure. I don't really understand anything up here."

"Well, I know you said you weren't ever going to, but how about joining my crew. I won't make you do anything you don't want to. You can just be a guest if you want until you find out what you want to do."

"As long as I am not a part of your ban of misfits, then being your guest sounds pleasant. That is, if you would have me."

"Of course. Welcome aboard."

* * *

Sinbad led Ja'far through the streets. He had helped the atargatis put together an actual outfit after he had dried off and regained his legs. It was a typical sailor's outfit: a simple shirt, loose pants, boots, and a bandana to hopefully protect Ja'far from the sun. He just hoped it keep his legs mostly dry, at least enough to prevent any issues from rising. Ja'far was adamant on keeping his nature a secret.

As for the atargatis, he was clearly uncomfortable with the amount of people around them. Though not one paid them any mind, he couldn't help but wonder if Ja'far felt they were seeing right through him. Sure, a skilled magician might be able to sense a spell on him, but pinpointing it would take more skill than he had ever seen. The other option was that Ja'far kept his taste for human flesh and was hungry.

He decided that food would break the tension regardless of whether Ja'far was hungry or not. He tugged at his sleeve, pointing to a stall off to the side of the street. It was filled with all sorts of food that Sinbad was sure the atargatis had never even seen.

Ja'far gave him a weird look, asking what it was he was looking at. "Food." He responded, beginning to walk off without the other. To his surprise, Ja'far grabbed his hand, keeping close as they made it over to the stall. He picked two sticks of beef, figuring that was closer to Ja'far's regular diet, and handed one to him. He was given another look so he took a bite of his own to assure the younger man. The atargatis looked down at the meat and took a careful bite from it. Ja'far looked up at him, his eyes full of some childlike wonder, and he continued to eat.

Having succeeded in relaxing his companion some, he found the inn where his crew was staying. They had the whole thing practically to themselves, sharing only with a few inland merchants who paid no mind to their wild behavior. The inn roared with a cheer when Sinbad walked in but fell dead silent when Ja'far walked in right after him, sticking close and keeping his eyes drilled into the sailor's back.

When Sinbad brought a man back with him, it meant only one thing: a new member. The crew crowded around them, assaulting Ja'far with a barrage of questions and handshakes. Surprisingly, the younger man returned the handshakes, likely learning about them while observing the sailors docking their ships. He was clearly still tense, but tried to hide it as best as he could.

"Alright guys, if you keep crowding him, he'll run away." Sinbad smiled at the disagreeing face his companion gave him. "His name is Ja'far and he is an old acquaintance. Circumstances have placed him in our care for some time."

"He's a quiet one, isn't he?" Sharrkan laughed. "I bet he would get along well with Masrur."

Ja'far glared at Sharrkan and Sinbad decided to explain. "He is mute, Sharrkan."

There was a hush among the crew followed by whispers. Ja'far clearly found it irritating, pushing through the crowd up to the bar table. He gave the bartender a few motions and he was given a paper and quill to write with. He wrote something and held it up over his head with a displeased expression.

Just because I can't speak to you doesn't mean I can't hear what you are saying. If you think I will be a burden to the crew, then I will prove that there is something that even I can do. My voice means nothing to a pair of capable legs.

Sinbad smiled at his choice of words. He was the only one in the inn who understood the true meaning behind them. Ja'far was able to do things on land with legs, and apparently if that meant losing his voice, he was entirely okay with that. Even better was the more accepting roar of chatter among the crew. A few people shook hands with him again, including Sharrkan who seemed to apologize to him.

So Ja'far had won the support of his crew with a few words. Things would be difficult for the atargatis since threats to his identity were all over at sea. He accepted what Ja'far was, sure, but he wasn't sure about the rest of his crew. After all, a man eating atargatis living among prey was asking for trouble.

* * *

A/U: Not that I am promising frequent updating since I my writing mood can be rather rare, but this time the delay was that my computer was out being fixed up by my father. It is running much better now at least. =) I hope the Little Mermaid idea isn't too much, but how else was I going to get Ja'far on Sinbad's ship? xD

Enjoy.


End file.
